Men Arrested Over Dynamite Fishing

Two men were arrested by Police yesterday afternoon, after using dynamite to catch fish at Doma area North West of Guadalcanal at about 12 Midday.

The two men, both in their mid 30's, showed up at Doma village and borrowed two outrigger canoes for their fishing trip.

However, just before midday, a loud explosion was heard by villagers coming from the direction where the two men were said to have gone fishing.

Villagers quickly reported the matter to the Guadalcanal Police who then made an immediate arrest, charging both men with one count each of using dangerous explosives.

Although some of the world's most extensive coral reefs are found in the Solomon Islands many have come under such sustained assault by dynamite fishing. Marine biologists and avid divers that frequent the Solomon Islands have warned that it would not be too long before these corals collapse.

Government officials acknowledge the magnitude of the problem but have said that it is difficult to monitor such activities given that most are practised in rural communities. "We just don't have the logistics and capability to effectively monitor such activities," said one official with the Ministry of Fisheries.

According to a U.N. survey last year, the world's coral reefs -- 113,720 square miles spread among 101 countries and territories -- is declining rapidly partly because of dynamite and cyanide fishing.

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